The present invention relates to a milling cutter, in particular to a slotting milling cutter, for machining with a high feed and a low pass depth, this milling cutter being particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for machining parts made of very hard materials used in the aeronautical industry.
An aircraft turbomachine comprises, for example, many parts made of high-hardness materials such as composites and superalloys based on nickel and cobalt. The high-speed machining of these materials generates high thermal and mechanical stresses in the cutting tools, which therefore have to be made of materials that are very strong and resistant to high temperatures.
It is known to manufacture a slotting milling cutter from a block of a ceramic or carbide material. A ceramic milling cutter has a high hardness and a high thermal resistance, and makes it possible for high-speed machining and high rates of material removal to be achieved. However, it is expensive to produce and very brittle, so that it is in general reserved for the machining of soft materials, such as wood, and is therefore not used in the aeronautical industry. A carbide milling cutter is less expensive to manufacture and better able to withstand the mechanical stresses during machining. However, it is of lower performance and wears away more rapidly than a ceramic milling cutter.